 |
|
New combination therapy safe, promising for melanoma patients
June 02, 2008The combination of two different biotherapies may be beneficial for patients with inoperable melanoma, according to a University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute (UPCI) study presented at the 44th annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago.
Researchers in the melanoma and skin cancer program at UPCI combined two biotherapies - treatments that stimulate the immune system to fight cancer - and found the results promising in terms of anti-tumor effects and tolerable in terms of toxicity. High-dose interferon alfa-2b, a standard treatment for metastatic skin cancer, and tremelimumab, an antibody thought to instigate the body's immune system to attack tumors, were combined for the first time in this phase 2 clinical trial.
"With each new study, we learn something important about melanoma," said John M. Kirkwood, M.D., leader of the program and professor and vice chairman for clinical research in the Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. "With this study, we learned that adding tremelimumab to traditional treatment is not only safe, but an effective way to induce an anti-tumor response, which is very exciting."
For this study, 16 patients diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma, all of whom received and had not benefited from at least one round of previous therapy, were given the combination treatment. The overall response rate was 19 percent, and the study has since moved into the second stage, where it will enroll 21 additional patients.
Melanoma is a rare form of skin cancer, but it causes the majority of skin cancer-related deaths. Each year, approximately 160,000 new cases are diagnosed worldwide, and currently surgery is the only effective cure. For patients with inoperable disease, like those enrolled in this study, discovering a safe and effective treatment is vital.
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
For this study, 16 patients diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma, all of whom received and had not benefited from at least one round of previous therapy, were given the combination treatment. The overall response rate was 19 percent, and the study has since moved into the second stage, where it will enroll 21 additional patients.
Melanoma is a rare form of skin cancer, but it causes the majority of skin cancer-related deaths. Each year, approximately 160,000 new cases are diagnosed worldwide, and currently surgery is the only effective cure. For patients with inoperable disease, like those enrolled in this study, discovering a safe and effective treatment is vital.
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Effect of prebiotic and probiotic foods on health
A group of researchers at the Public University of Navarre, led by Senior Lecturer in Zoology, Elena Urdaneta Artola, have studied both the mechanisms whereby foodstuffs known as functional act at a gastrointestinal level as well as their possible beneficial effects on the health of individuals. The study, which will continue until 2006, has received the Ortiz de Landazuri Scholarship for 2004. This is an annual award by the Department of Health of the Navarre Government in recognition of the best project in basic research. For a number of years now the team has been following a line of investigation on the nutritional modulation of neoplasic and allergic illnesses by means of probiotic an
More Biotherapies News Articles
 | Chemotherapy and Biotherapy Guidelines and Recommendations for Practice (second edition) Order your copy of the newly revised and updated second edition of your #1 resource for chemotherapy administration! With more than 46,000 copies sold since 2001, you and thousands of your colleagues in oncology nursing have studied and consulted the information found in the first edition. The new second edition is based on current evidence and has been revised and updated to reflect the... |
 | Cancer Chemotherapy and Biotherapy: Principles and Practice Updated to include the newest drugs and those currently in development, this Fourth Edition is a comprehensive reference on the preclinical and clinical pharmacology of anticancer agents. Organized by drug class, the book provides the latest information on all drugs and biological agents--their mechanisms of action, interactions with other agents, toxicities, side effects, and mechanisms of... |
 | Cancer Biotherapy: An Introductory Guide Recent advances in biology and immunology have opened up new horizons in both our understanding of cancer as a disease, and the potential for cancer therapy. These major developments mean that chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery are no longer the only options. Biotherapy, or biological therapy, is now regarded as the fourth treatment modality for patients with cancer. It utilises the great... |
 | Biotherapy: A Healing for the 21st Century; The Eastern European Method of Energy Balancing That Anyone Can Master Biotherapy, A healing for the 21st Century, is a comprehensive guide to self-development in energy-healing. It not only explains what bioenergy is, but it also provides a well-established lesson in biotherapy for the beginning healer. From learning about the ancient history of energy-healing to the mastery of modern healers, the reader is invited to take a trip towards self-improvement and... |
 | Biotherapy: A Comprehensive Overview (Jones and Bartlett Series in Oncology) This text provides the foundation to understand and apply this therapeutic modality. The skills necessary to care for patients who receive it are included. It also provides further insight into the field of biotherapy, as well as a perspective of the knowledge acquired to date. Administration and nursing management of BRM side effects are delineated along with areas for future nursing... |
| Clinical Immunology Biotherapy and Chemotherapy in the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of disease. by John A., & Louis TUFT. KOLMER | |
| Biotherapy of Malignant Tumours by N. G. , G. I. Roskin. Klyuyeva | |
| Biotherapy: Official journal of Japanese Society of Biological Modifiers | |
 | Thérapeutiques antiangiogéniques en cancérologie (Oncologie pratique) by Sandrine Faivre, Éric Raymond Le rôle fondamental de l’angiogenèse dans la croissance et la dissémination tumorale est connu depuis maintenant plus de 30 ans. Nous disposons depuis peu de médicaments anti-angiogéniques efficaces sur de nombreuses tumeurs. Leur utilisation requiert une bonne connaissance de leur mode d’action, leurs effets secondaires, leurs indications et leur place dans la stratégie... |
| Biotherapy: A Comprehensive Overview. |
| © 2008 BrightSurf.com |